Non-removable bung.



No. 69!,227. Patented Ian. M, I902.

C. ZWICKEL &. L. P. GRUNBAUM.

NON-REMOVABLE BUNG.

(Application filed July 30, 1901.)

(No Model.)

A1 1 3 3a lf I.

WITNESSES IN VEN To v var- 72 I Z feafiy ii m W M By I 7 RNEYS 1N5 mama PETERS cu. Pnorauwa. WASHINGTON, u c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONRAD Z\VICKEL AND LEO P. GRUNBAUM, OF BOISE, IDAHO; SAID ZVIOKEL ASSIGNOR TO SAID GRUNBAUM.

NON-REMOVABLE BUNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691 ,227, dated January 14, 1902.

Application filed J'uly 30, 1901. Serial No. 70,258. (No model.)

To all whom z t may concern.-

Be it known that we, CONRAD ZWICKEL and LEO P. GRUNBAUM, citizens of the United States, and residents of Boise, in the .county of Ada and State of Idaho, have invented a new and Improved Non-Removable Bung, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a bung for wooden receptacles for malt or other liquors or any liquid which is non-removable without its destruction after the bung has been driven into the bung-hole of a barrel, cask, or keg used for containing such liquors or liquids, whereby the adulteration of a choice brand of malt or other liquor or liquid is prevented or exposed by the necessary substitution of a differently-constructed bung entailed by the mutilation of the improved bung upon its removal from the pack ing vessel.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of .parts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

Figure 1 'is a reverse plan view of a bung held in place in a bung-hole by the improvement, and Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view substantially on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1.

The device may be applied to bungs formed of any suitable materialsuch, for example, as hard wood.

In the drawings, A indicates a portion of a barrel-stave at the chime of the barrel, having the bung-hole A therein.

The bung 10 is fitted to the bung-hole A so as to permit the bung to receive a patching or jacket of coarse fibrous material 11, which will cover the side and inner end of the bung and may be coated, as is usual, with a suitable cement, which will render the bung-hole or aperture liquid-tight when the bung and patching on it are together forcibly inserted into the bung-hole A.

The invention consists of a locking device formed of a strand of resilient wire or other suitable material that is not liable to rust end at having an inward curve thereon.

and of proper gage to render the completed locking device effective in service.

As shown, at a point suitably distant from one end a of the wire strand the material isbent to form a loop or bow b and two substantially parallel straight members 0 c, the From the point 0 that is the termination of the straight limb c, the wire material is bent outward to form an obtuse angle at said point, and thence it is gradually curved, as at 0 to extend the same to a point 0 from which the wire rod is curved, so as to form a nearly true circle 0 that nearly equals in diameter the diameter of the inner end of the bung 10.

At (1 the curvature of the wire strand is changed in radius, so as to define an are d of a smaller circle, and at d the strand crosses the similarly-curved portion 0 already described, the portion d merging into the obtuse angle d from which the material is outwardly extended, as a straight limb d which merges into the bowed formation e, that is positioned directly opposite the bowed portion b.

A nearly straight member 6 is extended inwardly from the bowed portion 2 audit passes been described is secured upon the inner endof the bung 10 before it is driven into the bung-hole of a barrel or the like by means of two wire staples 12.

As shown, the staples 12 are each formed of such width between the legs l2 thereof as to permit the staple to pass over the straight limbs of the respective loops 1) e and thence into the body of the bung 10, the ends of each staple being clenched and embedded in the bung near its outer side, as shown at 12 in Fig. 2.

The peculiar construction of the locking device for the bung renders the bowed portions b e spring-pressed locking-dogs, which normally project exterior of the periphery of the bung 10, Whereon they are loosely held. When the bung is to be inserted within the bung-hole A, the bowed portions or'dogs Z) c are pressed inwardly, so as to bear upon the wall of the bung-hole. The bung, with the patching on it, is now forcibly driven into the bung-hole, and when the dogs I) 6 pass below the inner edge of the bung-hole said dogs by spring-pressure upon them are forced outward into normal adjustment, which will hook them over the stave material at and near the bung-hole A. It will be seen that to remove the bung 10 the bung must be mutilated or completely destroyed, and as there may be a trade-mark or other safeguard against substitution placed upon the exterior of the bu ng it is obvious that the exchange of another bung for the one destroyed will be readily detected, so that the use of the improved bung will effectually prevent adulteration of the original package or the substitution of lindric body, a resilient coiled-wire locking device having looped ends that project oppositely beyond the lower end of the body, and means to secure the locking device on said end of the body so that the looped ends may be retracted against the spring of the coiled wire they are formed upon.

2. A non-removable bung, comprisinga cylindric body, a locking device bent from a wire strand so as to provide two opposite looped members or dogs thereon, which are normally spring-pressed beyond the periphcry of the bung, and staples adapted to hold the locking device secured upon the inner end of the bung-body.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CONRAD ZWICKEL.

LEO P. GRUNBAUM.

Witnesses:

ROBERT W. FARIS, HARRY A. OWENS. 

